Payback
by tangent line
Summary: Akira has a plan to make Hikaru his. Hikaru is pissed.


Payback  
  
by tangent line  
  
"What are you doing?!" Shindo screamed, pushing Akira away with a force that would have made his teeth rattle if it weren't for the business of untangling fingers from hair and arms from waists and lips from lips which absorbed a lot of the inertia. "You freak! Cut it out!" He wiped his mouth, then gave Akira a wounded glare.  
  
It was amusing to Akira that Shindo would protest so loudly when his participation had been so ... complete. He'd wanted to know, so he'd been very careful. "Calm down, Shindo," he said with his usual control. He'd been prepared for this reaction, but the timing had been off enough to give him hope. The approach, the contact, and the escalation of this hot ... wet kiss had all been executed with flawless style and mind numbingly *slow* caution. If Shind was really that opposed to the intimacy, he could have objected *long* before Akira's tongue had pushed towards his for the *fifth* slow time. Shindo wanted him. He was sure at last. This little tantrum was just a part of the game now; a challenge to help him savor the chase. "I'm not going to rape you." He felt his lips curl into an almost involuntary smirk. Deciding to go with it, he licked his lips for good measure.  
  
"B - bastard!" Shindo stuttered standing with tightly clenched fists at his sides. "If you *ever* ..."  
  
Akira waited patiently, but Shindo didn't continue. His eyes were wide and panic stricken. He was so adorable like this. Akira wanted so badly to touch him again. To run fingers over those flushed cheeks, or to smooth the hair he had tangled moments ago. He knew, though, that execution would be important here. He kept still. "Don't say something you'll regret later, Shindo."  
  
"What do you mean, pervert?"  
  
"If you tell me never to do it again, you risk having me listen to you."  
  
"So?"  
  
As difficult as it was, he kept his motions deliberate. He raised a hand to straighten his own hair and the collar of his shirt. "So think about it, Shindo. Do you *really* want to go through the rest of your life without *ever* being that close to me again?"  
  
"Yes, dammit!" Shindo trembled, his knuckles white. "How could you ..." He shook his head. "After ... You ..."  
  
"Think about it, Shindo. Forever is a *really* long time."  
  
For one more moment, the eyes that met Akira's were angry and determined. He waited for that moment to pass. Inexperienced as he was with love, he was more intimately familiar with Shindo Hikaru than even Shindo seemed to realize. He was tired of waiting for someone who would never catch on to obvious clues, let alone subtle innuendo. The direct approach was not without variables, but he had been willing to bet all his future happiness that if this moment of anger came, it would pass. He had to play it cool.  
  
He watched Shindo's face. Anger, anger, anger ... anger ... irritation ... uncertainty.  
  
When Shindo's transparent countenance wavered from a confusion to sorrow, Akira's heart wrenched with guilt. He'd known this was likely. To the unprepared object of all his desires, there would be no greater pain than the thought of losing respect for his destined rival and best friend. He couldn't let his own worry or regret show. If his plan was going to work, he had to seem very sure of himself. He could regain Shindo's respect once they were on the other side of this; once all his secret longing was out in the open. He could no longer hide his feelings and maintain the respect he had for himself. This was hard, but it was necessary. It was time for the next step in his plan. "See you tomorrow, Shindo!" With his most dazzling smile, Touya Akira turned and left the go institute as quickly as he could without the appearance of haste. As penance, he kept that last view of his beloved firmly in his mind's eye. The glazed look, the calloused fingers resting lightly on the tiny confused frown that turned down the corners of those perfectly full pink lips he'd spent so much time staring at these past two years. The universe was gracious. He was able to step into a taxi immediately. Shindo would recover. He'd have a chance to think about all of this and by morning they could both pretend that nothing had happened.  
  
That would signal the beginning of the waiting phase.  
  
Touya Akira was good at waiting.  
  
~*~  
  
He'd get even with Touya Akira if it was the last thing he ever did. That bastard! Putting him through such a horrible night of worry and anger and ... and ... upsetness! He'd pay. And pay and pay and pay.  
  
Lying awake an entire night worrying about losing your most important friend just seemed to get his temper up. That idiot, Touya. After his manic fluctuations between regretting the go games they might never be able to play so happily again, and angrily telling himself that he was better off without the stupid pervert, the first eight hours had passed.  
  
It was probably sleep deprivation, but ... after that ...  
  
Even now, the memory of that kiss ... the taste and the smell ... the heat that had flashed through his entire ... the way his mind had ... the instinct to ...  
  
He blushed and shook his head. No good. He had to get even and for that he needed to stay collected.  
  
Damn Touya and his annoying smirk. Like he knew something that Hikaru didn't. Like it was only a matter of time before Hikaru became putty in his hands. If that was what Touya thought, then Touya was in for a shock. He had told Hikaru to think about it. Hikaru had thought about it. He wasn't about to become Touya's little boy toy.  
  
At last he spotted him. They'd made plans two days earlier to meet at the Touya Salon. That snot was actually standing in the street looking for him. That made things so much easier. He smiled and waved cheerfully. If he was going to do this, he wanted to do it right.  
  
Looking innocent as a lamb, Touya waved back. Damn Touya and his baby face back to the hell that spawned them anyway. He could pretend nothing had happened if it gave him momentary pleasure. Hikaru wasn't about to let him get away with it.  
  
"You're late, Shindo."  
  
"No I'm not! It's, like, three minutes after two! That's still on time!" He could play the game. He'd been Touya's opponent too long to back down from a challenge this important. He could wait until the formation favored black. Until his turn came around again.  
  
"Not if you said you'd be here at one thirty, it's not."  
  
Something had to be done about that smirk. "You're imagining things. It was two. Two."  
  
"If I'd said two ..." Touya held the street door open and a rush of air conditioned cold rushed past them, disappearing into the summer heat. He waved for Hikaru to go in before him. The moment for his revenge was approaching. "You would have been here at two thirty-three."  
  
Meekly, he went into the building and climbed the first two stairs, then stopped and waited, turning fully towards his nemesis. The environmentally conscious Touya pushed the door until he was sure it had latched solidly. Hikaru had been preparing all morning for this moment. It wouldn't slip by him. He wouldn't get another chance like this. There was a perfect split second as Touya lifted one foot to find the first stair. It was simplicity itself to grab both of his slim shoulders and push his lanky teen-aged body back against the wall next to the door. The AC continued to buzz in the background. Cars passed by outside. Touya stared up at him, his mask of composure finally gone. Shock and momentary fear replaced the smirk, and it was almost enough to make Hikaru hesitate. Almost. But he'd made up his mind. He knew the truth now. He knew what the emotional pattern of the game he hadn't even known they'd been playing for the last two years looked like. He could see the entire board at last. This was the only way to win; the only way to keep from falling into Touya's carefully constructed trap.  
  
Because falling was inevitable. He could read far enough ahead to know that Touya had thought of everything. The only way to keep from falling to this superior opponent who knew him so well ...  
  
The only way to keep from falling ... was to jump.  
  
"It was two, you bastard," he said, surprised by his own calm. For another heart beat, he stared at Touya, before the borrowed height of the one remaining stair between them let him violently seize Touya's lips in an inexperienced but *very* demanding second kiss.  
  
Touya squeaked. Much to Hikaru's satisfaction. He pressed his advantage. The opening of Touya's mouth, however involuntary, was as good as an invitation.  
  
Slowly, Touya woke up and joined in the struggle to make their two gangly young bodies into one being. His arms went around Hikaru and he began to moan encouragement. When they were both too breathless to continue for the strength of emotions and the fear of discovery, Hikaru broke away only to hug his annoying, smug love close. "You're stupid!" he whispered. "And mean! All you had to do was say 'Hikaru, I really like you. I need you to think about that for a while.' I would have, you know. It would have taken a little longer, but it would have spared me the *worst* night of my *entire* life. So think about that, you jerk!"  
  
"Shindo." The arms wrapped around him a little tighter. He could almost feel Touya thinking this through. "I ..."  
  
Hikaru sighed and ran a hand through his new boyfriend's hair. It would be good, he and Touya. It would be snow and sunshine and sweet pain. He was looking for the promise of four AM on a sleepless night. The night when, the logical mind, too tired to continue it's struggle, had let the anger go and remembered the startled pleasure and the surprising comfort of a stolen kiss from someone for whom he had always cared deeply. His lifelong obsession. His cosmic negative. He was happy. He was in control. He was with Touya because *he* wanted to be.  
  
"Shindo, I ... I didn't think you'd ... I'm sorry."  
  
Hikaru snorted. Touya didn't deserve to be forgiven yet.  
  
"Shindo, I really ... I've been in love with you for a long time. Real love. I'm not ... playing around, or ..."  
  
At least he seemed genuinely sorry. "I know that." Hikaru touched his cheek gently. "The games, and ... the hand of god; they're as important to you as they are to me. You wouldn't give them up for a whim. Don't you think I can read ahead at all? I really ... love you too. I would have figured it out if you'd helped me. Don't ever do that again, okay? From now on ..."  
  
"From now on we go slowly. You're right. I'm sorry."  
  
Tension drained from Touya's body and Hikaru found that his own muscles had been clenched too lightly for too long as well. He kissed Touya softly one more time for good measure, then pushed away and headed up the stairs two at a time. "Now we play go!" he yelled over his shoulder.  
  
Touya followed meekly behind, a very different kind of smile on his face. It was just like Shindo, really. He'd made weeks of plans. Waiting for Shindo to think Akira had forgotten the whole incident; leaning too close; brushing hands accidentally while clearing a goban ... thirty more moves he'd keep trying until his opponent ran out of spaces on the board. In typical Shindo style, though, his greatest opponent had seen everything he could do and had made all of his traps and schemes collapse back on themselves. The territory couldn't be counted in black and white any more. He had lost.  
  
He was happier than he had ever been in his life. The only possible choice of mates would be his forever. The only worthy opponent.  
  
Shindo was right. It was time to play go.  
  
-----------------------  
  
Author's notes:  
  
I am sick nigh unto death of go metaphors for the Touya/Shindo relationship. Yes, Touya might think about it that way, but there's a limit to how much of it I'll buy.  
  
Anyway, right now I'm writing stories to polish my style a little. I know I skipped most of the touchy-feely self discovery crap in this short peace, and yes, it was deliberate. Putting aside the fact that it's been done and done and done until I'm surprised there's not a boilerplate script for it somewhere, emotional exposition isn't the technique I need help with right now. I decided to bypass all of that and write the descriptive action stuff that's my weakness. I know that it needs work, and that's where you hopefully come in. I'd be really interested to hear what I did wrong with this piece. Any comments about voice or clarity of events would be really appreciated.  
  
Thanks for reading! 


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